Road trip ends with a thud as O's get rocked at K.C.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead to the last of the first today at Kansas City. The lead lasted just three batters. It only would get worse as the Royals hammered Chris Tillman and the Orioles 9-1 in the series and road trip finale. The O's missed a chance to get back to .500 as Tillman gave up eight runs and 10 hits over just 3 2/3. Tillman allowed six runs in less than two innings April 13 at New York and this was another rough outing for the right-hander. He gave up four runs in the first, one in the second and was knocked out of the game in the Royals' three-run fourth. Tillman falls to 1-3 with an ERA of 7.16.

Orioles startng pitchers have worked to an ERA of 3.37 over the previous 15 games. Tillman is now 3-8 with an ERA of 6.19 over 16 career road starts. Melky Cabrera had four RBIs for a K.C. team that improved to 17-14 on the year and to 14-6 at home. With a win today, the Orioles would have become the first team this season to win a series against K.C. at Kauffman Stadium. But Bruce Chen kept his former team at bay, allowing just five hits and one run over seven innings. Chen improved to 4-1 with an ERA of 3.59, throwing 104 pitches. He gave up an RBI single in the first to Adam Jones, but gave up just two hits after that first frame. The Orioles are 2-8 in games where a lefty starts against them. Nick Markakis had two hits and scored a run and it was his third two-hit game in his last four contests. But the Orioles were held to three runs or fewer for the third time in four games. The Orioles end this road trip going 4-3 and take a 14-16 record into a homestand that begins Friday night at Camden Yards against Tampa Bay when Zach Britton (5-1, 2.63) pitches against James Shields (2-1, 2.14).